Tuesday, December 30, 2014

It is with deep regret that I have learned the sad fate of the missing AsiaAir jetliner. My thoughts and prayers are with the families of those who have suffered loss in this terrible tragedy. In my previous post, I postulated a possible scenario in which the jetliner may have been captured by terrorists for nefarious purposes. Clearly, this was not the case, a different tragedy has befallen this flight. Salvage efforts are underway as investigators attempt to determine what went wrong. Hopefully, the cause of the crash can be determined and precautions put in place to prevent another such disaster.

Sunday, December 28, 2014

I woke up this morning to the news that another southeastern Asia jetliner, AsiaAir flight QZ8501, has disappeared. The last contact from the pilot was a request to change altitude to avoid poor weather. A number of things makes this disappearance suspicious. First, there was no mayday or pan pan call by the pilot. A mayday call is used when disaster is immanent and pan pan is the call a pilot would use when disaster in probable but the flight is currently maintainable. This plane made no distress call, it simply disappeared without a sound and without a trace. Second, is the fact that this is the second jetliner that has disappeared in this region in the past year. Third is the naked threats made against the U S by radical Islamic regimes and governments. Recently, Isis proclaimed that it was in possession of a nuclear bomb. What is known for sure is that a number of suitcase nukes from the cold war are unaccounted for. What is known for sure is that Iran is currently processing nuclear material and attempting to join the nuclear bomb club. What is known for sure is that Islamic terrorists like to crash planes into American cities. Both Russia and Iran seem to have political sympathies with corrupt Islamic regimes and both nations are open in their disdain for the U S and other western countries. This week, Russia declared NATO to be the biggest threat to it's national security. Given the corruption of southeast Asian countries, the possibility that large amounts of money has changed hands to acquire a simple nuclear bomb delivery system is likely. Isis, or even Iran, would have a difficult time developing or acquiring a delivery system capable of sending a nuclear bomb to a U S city, but an airplane loaded with bombs and nuclear material could easily fly into U S airspace and crash into major cities across the nation. Chatter concerning nuclear events in U S cities have been intercepted for months. Iran has threatened America, Isis has threatened America, Islamic Jihad has threatened America. Even as the current administration is threatening to bring sanctions against Israel and lessen sanctions against Iran, the Islamic world continues to threaten our safety. The United States does not come into play in end time prophecy, we are simply not there. The U S has been working very hard to alienate Israel as an ally, directly opposing God who promised to bless those who blessed Israel and to curse those who curse Israel. The U S has embraced evil like never before in it's domestic policies and almost all moral boundaries seem to have removed by the public at large. Even the organized church has abandoned Biblical truth for inclusiveness with the world. All of this mixes together a recipe for disaster. Pastor Jeffery Cahn and others have given dire warnings to the U S concerning impending judgement from God. I have written numerous posts about the danger we have placed ourselves in by ignoring God's commandments. I think of God's judgments on Sodom, on Balaam, and the warning of judgment found in Romans 1 to be overwhelmingly bad news for the U S A. I pray against hope for the people on flight QZ8501. I pray that this plane will be found and the people rescued. Sadly,I believe that this will not be the case. I fear that this plane has joined Malaysian flight 370 and is being prepared for an attack on U S cities. I pray that I am wrong. I pray for the flight and all on board, I pray for the searchers for safety and success, and I pray for out intelligence agencies to uncover any nefarious plots against U S cities. We are living in very uncertain times, with the only certainty being Jesus will be returning to for His people. We know that evil will increase in the last days and God wins in the end. We can only wait, watch and pray as the future unfolds. Now is the time for God's people to be more faithful than ever before and to be diligent about the great commission. My hope is in Christ!

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Friday, December 26, 2014

For the last eight months, I have had the best assignment of my 26 year career. That all came to an unexpected end two days before Christmas, when I received a phone call telling me that I would be reassigned to a city office. I was devastated by the news, as were my co-workers. I called my wife and we prayed together and then I spent a good part of my lunch praying as well. An unexplainable peace came over me, and I realized that God was in control and knew best and that even though this was not what I would have ever chosen, it would somehow be for the best.

Then I spoke to the person whom I would be replacing... Discouragement threatened to set in as she described the disaster I was coming into. That night I went to bed confident that God would see me through but at 4:30 the next morning, I inexplicably woke up in dread of the impending assignment change and spent the next hour and a half praying and pleading with God to fix things or at least give me the courage to face the inevitable. When I arrived at work on Christmas Eve, my coworkers were in a funk and complaining about the change. I was in a pretty decent mood and they were perplexed until I told them I had been wrestling with God since 4:30 that morning and God won, and that I had peace about the whole thing.

Tonight, my last night at my current office, I spoke with the manager I will be replacing on Monday and once again became very discouraged about my new assignment. I came home sad and worried. I have many commitments in the evening throughout the week and my new assignment promises to be very long days and not many days off. I once again went to prayer and asked God to show me some hope. That hope came in the form of my friend who called and offered to cover for me whenever I needed it. My friend also let me know the nature and cause of the problems at the new office and was confident that I would be able to fix things in a relatively short time.

I am ashamed to write this, as I know God is faithful and loves me, yet I doubted and got discouraged. I am reminded of the verse 2 Timothy 3:15 If we are faithless, He remains faithful for He cannot disown Himself. I am a child of God, bought and paid for by the blood of Christ. I am indwelt by the very Spirit of God and He promises to never leave me nor forsake me, He promises me that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, and He promises me that all things work together for good because I love Him and am called according to His purpose. In my weakness, he is strong. Praise Him for He is God, Hallelujah!

Monday, December 22, 2014

Christmas time is upon us and people who never give a second thought about Jesus most of the year will be attending cantatas, candlelight services and other events that proclaim the truth of God's love. This time of year, above all others, we, the church, have the opportunity to share our faith to unbelievers. Unfortunately the babe in the manger has been overshadowed by Santa Clause, the message of the cross has been drowned out by calls for "peace on earth and good will towards men." I knew that Santa had stolen Christmas from Christ when my family attended a show at Dollywood a couple of years ago and a little girl in the show got on her knees and prayed to Santa to bring her brother home for Christmas. Pleas for peace on earth are great, but that peace will not be attained until King Jesus establishes his rule. What are believers to do. On one hand, we do not want to seem like humbugs who hate fun and say stupid things like "Santa is an anagram for Satan..." and on the other hand, it is imperative that we remain rooted in truth and not allow anything to take the focus from Jesus. The best way for me is to not get focused on the baby in the manger, but on the living Word seated at the right hand of the Father. Without the cross and the empty tomb, the manger is meaningless. Few people oppose to the image of the babe in the manger, as a baby is very non threatening. A baby laying on a pile of hay cannot compete for attention with a large bearded man in a red suit who hands out presents. We cannot force a lost world to ignore Santa Clause and embrace Christ the God/man who died for the world, nor should we. What we can do is share our experience with Christ against the backdrop of the babe in the manger. God's Spirit is gentle and so should we be when dealing with the lost. Much is said about "keeping the Christ in Christmas" and rightfully so, but we must avoid behaving militantly as doing so can cause more harm to the Gospel message than one hundred Santa Clauses. I make a point of not saying "Happy holidays" and when someone says it to me, I respond "Merry Christmas." I teach my kids that Santa is make believe but am careful to not intrude in other families choice to present Santa as real. As a believer, it is between you and God if you want to lie to your children about Santa and then try to convince them later that Jesus is real, but for unbelievers, there is no conflict. It is far more effective to make a disciple by modeling Christ and sharing my testimony than by attacking the pagan aspects of Christmas. I am very passionately opposed to the paganism that has become the main focus of most Christmas observances, but that is a conversation reserved for my home and among other believers. With unbelievers, I choose to focus on common ground and find opportunities to lead them to an understanding of their need for salvation. Participating in Christmas is a balancing act, to be sure, but the opportunity to share the truth is greater during this season than any other. Jesus called us to be wise as serpents but gentle as doves. May the blessings of Christ be yours this Christmas season!
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Sunday, December 14, 2014

As I was driving home tonight, I caught the tail end of a broadcast of Amazing Facts Radio. Amazing Facts Radio is a radio call in program, hosted by Doug Batchelor, in which people are able to call in with questions about the Bible. The radio program is an outreach ministry of Amazing Facts Ministries. The last caller of the show asked Batchelor why he had referred to James as "the older brother of Jesus." I was amazed at the answer Batchelor gave the caller, to say the least. Doug Batchelor stated that James, Jude, Simon and Joseph were half brothers of Jesus, sons of Joseph from a previous marriage. This answer is wrong on many levels. The Bible, in the Gospels of Mark and Matthew, states that Jesus had brothers and sisters: Mark 6:3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?" And they took offense at him. Mat 13:55 Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? Mat 13:56 And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?" As stated above, there is no question that the Bible expressly states that Jesus had brothers and sisters. In fact, the epistles of Jude and James were actually written by the brothers of Christ. There should be little argument about this fact, but unfortunately, doctrines are sometimes formed in ignorance and when facts are presented to refute these doctrines, the facts are refashioned in order to fit the doctrine rather than rethinking or abolishing the wrong doctrine. The most common misconception concerning the brothers of Jesus is from the Roman Catholic doctrine of the perpetual virginity of Mary. When I asked a Catholic friend how he reconciled the passages above with the churches doctrine of perpetual virginity, he told me that the church believed that these brothers were actually cousins. I was surprised by my friend's response, I had no doubt that my friend was a genuine believer, we had many Bible discussions and agreed wholeheartedly on the essentials of the Christian faith. The verse that left my friend without any answer on the topic of Jesus' brothers, however, was Mathew 1:24-25 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus. (emphasis added). Clearly, this passage states that at some point, Joseph and Mary consummated their marriage. The Roman church also argues that the Greek word used for brothers adelphos, could be translated cousins. That would be good and well if there were no Greek word for cousin, but exadefos is the Greek word for cousin. Why would two different Gospel writers refer to Jesus' cousins as brothers and sisters when they could simply have written cousin? If one wants to argue that a matter must be established by two or more witnesses, and one wants to further argue that Mark and Matthew are one witness, we have a second (third by my count) witness, namely Paul the Apostle: Gal 1:19 But I saw none of the other apostles except James the Lord's brother. Guess what word Paul uses for brother - aldephos. Mathew, Mark and Paul could have easily used the Greek word for cousin, but they all three used aldephos because they all three meant brother or brothers. At least we do not have to refer to Philadelphia as the city of cousinly love any time soon! In response to Doug Batchelor of Amazing Facts, I respectfully say, "you are wrong sir." If the named brothers of Jesus were Joseph's sons from a previous marriage, they could not possibly have been his half brothers, as Joseph was not the biological father of Jesus. These would have been the step brothers of Jesus and, really, no brothers at all. The only evidence Batchelor offered for his position was the scene at the crucifixion when Jesus commended Mary to the care of John the Apostle. Batchelor's argument basically asked why Jesus would assign the care of Mary to John if she had blood related sons who could have easily stepped in to care for their mother. Remember, at the time of the crucifixion, Christ's brothers were not followers. In fact, scripture reveals that Jesus' brothers did not believe he was the Messiah, at least until after the resurrection. Mark makes this point in his Gospel: Mark 3:31-35 And his mother and his brothers came, and standing outside they sent to him and called him. And a crowd was sitting around him, and they said to him, "Your mother and your brothers are outside, seeking you." And he answered them, "Who are my mother and my brothers?" And looking about at those who sat around him, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother." Jesus' statement in this passage shows that Jesus has disassociated Himself from his family due to their unbelief. It is only after the resurrection, when Jesus appears to His brother James that this changes and James eventually takes on the role of the head of the church in Jerusalem. We must be careful not to add to or take away from scripture. In the case of Amazing Facts Radio we see the adding to scripture something that has zero evidence for support. Nowhere in scripture do we see any evidence whatsoever to suggest that Joseph was married before Mary or that he brought other children to the marriage. In the case of Catholic doctrine, truth is removed for the sake of a faulty doctrine that did not come into existence until the second century. If one took the Bible and read it without any outside interference, one would certainly walk away believing that Jesus was born of a virgin but that His mother and Joseph had relations after His birth, relations which produced 4 brothers and an unspecified number of sisters. It is logically irrefutable that Jesus had half brothers and sisters born to Mary and Joseph. Only by making wild assumptions of silly suppositions can the case be made that the brothers of Jesus were step brothers or cousins.
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Saturday, December 13, 2014

I wonder at what point the Vatican will consider a recall, if such a thing is even possible, on it's election of Jorge Bergoglio as the current Pope. It seems that nary a week goes by that Pope Francis does not spout off some nonsense that is in opposition to official Roman Catholic doctrine, not to mention the clear teaching of Scripture. The so called Vicar of Christ has reached new levels of bufoonery with his latest pronouncement that all animals will go to heaven. The exact quote, "One day we will see our animals again in eternity of Christ. Paradise is open to all God's creatures." This statement, on it's own merits is utter foolishness, but when one takes into account the source of such verbal tripe, this statement becomes something all together different, it becomes heresy. Pope Francis has crafted an "aw shucks" image for the world to fawn over. Progressives like atheist Bill Mahr, who openly mock God and Christianity, has nothing but praise for Pope Francis. The non believing world loves Francis more than any other Pope in history. Pope Francis parades around like a rock star on tour and spouts anti-christian rhetoric while godless media elites sing his praises. The Bible says, in James 4:4 You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.How can Francis claim to speak for God and yet be so enamored by the World. I believe that this Pope has a sinister agenda and is slowly destroying the Gospel message of the Roman Catholic Church. Pope Francis' pronouncement that "paradise is open to all God's creatures." is theologically absurd for a number of reasons. First of all, the Bible tells us in I Corinthians 15 that there is a distinction between the flesh of animals and the flesh of man. I Corinthians 15 deals with resurrection. If "all God's creatures" were to be resurrected, why distinguish between the flesh of animals and the flesh of man? Jesus came to earth as a man and died for the sins of men, not animals. To claim that Christ's death, as Francis alluded to, redeems animals is a mockery of the crucifixion. God created angels, and some of those angels chose to rebel. The rebellious angels are God's creatures by the nature that He created them. The book of Jude refers to a group of angels who are chained in darkness awaiting judgement. According to Pope Francis, these angels should have nothing to fear when they stand before God, because "all God's creatures" will go to heaven. Jesus, Himself, as recorded in Matthew 25, declared that hell is created for Satan and his angels. If God created Satan and the other angels, and Jesus tells us that they are destined for hell, then either the Vicar of Christ is wrong or the real Christ is a liar... Pope Francis is not the "regular guy" as he portrays himself, he is something much more dark and diabolical. Conservatives in the Roman Catholic Church are very aware of, and concerned about, the subversion of truth being perpetrated by Francis. One conservative bishop has been quoted as saying, "Inside the Church and recently from some of it's highest circles, new winds blow that aren't from the Holy Spirit." (emphasis added) As I have stated in my last blog, Gospel believing Catholics may be faced with a difficult choice, Jesus or the Pope, the Bible or the Papacy. This choice may be forced sooner rather than later. It would be easy to view the Pope as a paper tiger who can spout off any inanity and, unlike a president or prime minister, has no real authority or power. This is a dangerous assumption. The Bible teaches that there will be a world leader who will deceive the whole world. This world leader, known as the Man of Sin, or Anti-Christ, will be heralded by a false prophet, a religious leader who will cause most of the world to worship this false messiah. I believe that Pope Francis may very well be that false prophet spoken of in the book of Revelation. If he is not, he is surely a false prophet, paving the way for the real false prophet and giving us a preview of how one man can misdirect billions of people through a false humility and platitudinous pronouncements that are contrary to Biblical truth. Pope Francis is not a harmless, grandfatherly character who loves everyone and wants the world to come to Christ, he is a dangerously deceptive agent of darkness that is turning the focus of the Church away from Christ and making a mockery of our Savior's sacrifice. Francis is purging the upper levels of the Vatican of conservative cardinals and appointing his own legion of theological heretics. When a man is appointed as the spokesman of God, and is given the same credibility as an Apostle, what he says and does theologically matters. Pope Francis is not a fool and is worse than a heretic, he is, in my estimation, a shepherd of Satan and leading millions astray.

Wednesday, December 3, 2014

Just one week after the United States turned the National Cathedral over to Satan, by allowing Islamic prayers, Pope Francis pays homage to Great Deceiver in a Turkish Mosque. Pope Francis traveled to Turkey and entered the Sultan Ahmet Mosque, removed his shoes and prayed towards Mecca, clearly emulating the evil prayers made to Allah by Muslims. By doing so, Francis, whether he admits it or not, has declared Islam and Christianity as equal. Apparently, Francis' version of Christianity is no better than the Luciferian worship that goes on inside Mosques around the world. As I pointed out in my previous blog ISLAM IS SATANISM(click to read), Allah is not the God of the Bible. The god of Islam calls for murder and rewards his followers with unlimited sex and alcohol in the after life. This is not really compatible with anything found in the teachings of Christ, now is it? Pope Francis should be ashamed of himself, as his actions spit in the face of the one true God. Islam teaches that Allah has no son, while the Bible is clear that Jesus is the Son of God, a title that Christ used in reference to Himself numerous times. If Islam is a valid religion, then the Bible is wrong and Christ is a liar. The simple fact is that Christianity cannot be compatible with Islam, as Islam is a religion of evil and light has no fellowship with darkness. Francis, as a so called appointed leader of Christianity, has failed to uphold the faith over which he claims to officiate. Francis has embraced the darkness and called it good. Pope Francis, who carries the title Vicar of Christ has denied the truth of Christ by praying according to the manner of Islam. I am more fully convinced than ever that Francis is a false prophet and puppet of Satan, being used to trample the Gospel and replace it with a liberal social agenda disguised as humanitarianism. Francis has made so many inflammatory remarks that contradict Roman Catholic belief and practice that the Vatican has all but given up on any attempt to clear up his statements by "explaining what he really meant." Francis has taken a definite stance on homosexuality and abortion that is in direct opposition to Catholic doctrine. Recently, Francis attempted to address the possibility of female ordination, for which the rest of the Vatican leadership clearly opposed. Francis is undoubtedly attempting to turn Roman Catholicism into an ecumenical organization that excludes the true Gospel of Jesus Christ. While there are many points of disagreement between evangelical Christianity and Roman Catholicism, the person and work of Christ has always been a common factor on which both sides can unite. If Francis is successful in his mission, that common factor will no longer exist and many faithful Catholics will be forced to choose between Jesus Christ and the Vicar of Christ. Pope Francis, with his false humility and "regular guy" persona, is attempting to subvert 2000 years of Christian truth by symbolically uniting Islam with Christianity. Unfortunately, Francis is viewed by most of the world as the defacto leader of Christianity, when in fact, he does not speak for God nor the Bible, but instead, shows contempt for true Biblical Christianity. As I have stated, I believe that Pope Francis is a tool if Satan, being used to drive the world further and further from the truth of Jesus Christ. God has graciously provided us with redemption through the death burial and resurrection of Christ our savior. Satan wants to lead the world astray and keep man from reconciling himself to God through Christ. It seems Pope Francis is doing his part to help Satan accomplish his goals.